The front-line of health service delivery in Tanzania encompasses
public health facilities (health centres, dispensaries,
district and regional hospitals) that provide basic
health services to majority of the population. In 2014, the
Government of Tanzania owned72% of all health facilities
with the rest owned by Faith Based Organizations
(FBOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil
Society Organizations (CSOs) and other profit-based Private
Health Service Providers (URT,2017).Within the
government, the responsibility for delivery of public health
services falls under the Ministry of Health, Community
Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDEC)
as well as the President’s Office- Regional Administration
and Local Government (PO-RALG). The MoHCDEC carries
the overall responsibility ofpolicy formulation, supervision
and regulation of all health services throughout the
country, as well as playing a direct role in the management
of tertiary health services delivered by referral hospitals.
PO-RALG on the other hand is in charge of policy
implementation, supervision and monitoring ofhealth services
delivered byhospitals at regional and district levels
as well as dispensaries and health centres that operate
within areas of jurisdiction of respective regional and district
councils.

Over the years, the Government of Tanzania has been
making efforts to improve health service provision as
indicated by increasing budget allocations to the health
sector, both in terms of budgeted and actual amounts
disbursed. During the financial year 2015/16, the health
sector was allocated over Tshs 1.5 trillion, equivalent to
71 percent increase over the sector’s actual spending in
2012/13 (UNICEF, 2016). The Government has also
formulated and is in the course of implementing strategic
plans to guide operations of the health sector. Currently
key strategies at national level include the National
Community Based HealthStrategy (2015–2020);Primary
Health Services Development Programme (2007–
2017);National Multi-Sectoral Strategy for HIV/AIDS
(2015–2020); Health Sector Strategy Plan IV (2015–
2020);The Third Health Sector HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan
(2013–2017); and the Tanzania Development Vision
2025 implemented through five-year development plans.
Despite the efforts, Tanzania’s health sector still faces
resource constraints particularly human and financial
which impact the availability and quality of health service
delivery. In an attempt to ensure that services are delivered
in the midst of resource scarcity , some health sector
employees have adopted informal practices that aim
at getting their jobs done despite challenges faced.

Service

Institutional Network

ESRFs activities are supported by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC)